Method of winding artificial kidneys

ABSTRACT

THE DISCLOSURE RELATES TO A MACHINE FOR MANUALLY WINDING ARTIFICIAL KIDNEYS UTILIZING SIMPLE THREADING AND WINDING TECHNIQUES, PROVIDING A WORK AREA FOR PERMITTING MANUAL OPERATIONS DURING WINDING, AND BEING SUITED FOR USE BY THE MODERATELY SKILLED.

' Filed Feb. 10, 1969 Feb. 23, 1971 KOERTGE 3,564,690

METHOD OF WINDING ARTIFICIAL KIDNEYS S Sheets-Sheet l igiiiimniiiihi ll ,7 INVENTOR EDWARD A. KOERTGE 3, WO PM ATTORNEY Feb. 23, 1971 E KOERTGE 3,564,690

METHOD OF WINDING ARTIFICIAL KIDNEYS Filed Feb. 10, 1969 I v s Sheets-Sheet 2 W///// fll i I W I INVENTOR EDWARD A. KOERTGE Feb. 23, 1971 KOERTGE 7 3,564,690

METHOD OF WINDING ARTIFICIAL KIDNEYS Filed Feb. 10, 1969 i 3 Sheets-Sheet s iNvEN'roR FIG 9 EDWARD A. KOERTGE AT TORN EY United States Patent ()1 ice 3,564,690 METHOD OF WINDING ARTIFICIAL KIDNEYS Edward A. Koertge, 2414 Castle Drive, St. Louis, Mo. 63136 Filed Feb. 10, 1969, Ser. No. 797,759 Int. Cl. B21d 53/00; B21k 29/ 00,- B23p 15/26 US. Cl. 29157 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The disclosure relates to a machine for manually winding artificial kidneys utilizing simple threading and winding techniques, providing a work area for permitting manual operations during winding, and being suited for use by the moderately skilled.

This invention relates to artificial kidney winding machines.

It is the object of this invention to provide means and a method for winding artificial kidneys which will permit a moderately skilled person to wind artificial kidneys.

With the above and other objects in view, which will become immediately apparent upon reading the specification, my invention resides in the unique and novel form, arrangement, construction and combination of parts described in the drawings and claimed in the claims.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation view of a machine embodying the principles of my invention;

FIG. 2 is a top plan view thereof;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken along lines 3-3 of FIG. 1;

FIGS. 4 and 5 are enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken along lines 4-4 and 5-5 respectively of FIG. 2;

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along lines 6--6 of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a view of the core, dialysis tubes, and mesh at the start of the winding operation;

FIG. '8 is a view of the core, tubes and mesh at the final tie-in operation; and

FIG. 9 shows a completed coil assembly.

Referring now in more detail and by reference character to the drawings, which illustrate a preferred embodiment of my invention, A designates a kidney winding machine comprising a base '10, including a back panel 12, a forward panel 14, lateral panels -16, 18 and a work table 20.

Mounted on the back panel 12 and projecting outwardly therefrom is a support bracket 22, provided with a bore 23, in which is disposed a horizontal rod 24.

Rotatably disposed on the rod 24 on one side of the bracket 22 between Teflon washers 26, 28 is a membrane reel 30 which is held on the rod 24 by a set collar 32. A spring washer 34 is located on the rod 24 between the set collar 32 and the washer 26 for purposes presently more fully to appear. Similarly, on the other side of the rod 24, a membrane reel 36 is held in rotatable disposition about the rod 24 by a set collar 38 and a spring washer 40 between Teflon washers 42, 44. Two continuous bands 46, 48 of dialysis tubing are coiled about the reels 30, 36, respectively.

Mounted on the lateral panels 16, 18, beneath the membrane reels 30, 36, are bearings 50, 52, through which is journaled a shaft 54. Secured to the shaft 54 is a reel 56 containing a continuous band 58 of supportive netlike mesh. Mounted centrally on the lateral panels 16, 18 and extending transversely therebetween is a guide support member 60 on which is mounted a pair of spaced guides 62, 64. The guide 62 includes a pair of spaced vertical elements 66, 68, between which are mounted 3,564,690 Patented Feb. 23, 1971 spaced horizontal guide bars 70, 72. The guide 64 simularly includes a pair of spaced vertical elements 74, '76, between which are mounted spaced horizontal guide bars 78, 80. Located beneath the guide support member 60 is a mesh tension retainer 82 comprising a lower support 84 which is attached to and extends between the lateral panels 16, 18; a pair of spaced linkages 86, 88, pivotally mounted on the support 84; a pair of biasing springs 90, 92, disposed between the linkages 86, 88 respectively and the bar 84; and a roller bar 94, rotatably mounted on the linkages 8'6, 88 and extending therebetween. It should be noted that the springs 90, 92, urge the roller bar 94 upward against the lower face of the guide support member '60 toward the work table 20. The roller bar 94 is sized wider than the mesh 58 for purposes presently more fully to appear.

Located adjacent the work table 20 is a drive assembly 100, a removable core 102, and a clamping assembly 104.

The drive assembly includes a hand crank 106 which is secured to one end of a shaft 108 which is rotatably mounted in a bearing 110 mounted in the panel 18. Secured to the other end of the shaft 108 is a driven head 112 having an inwardly presented flat annular face 114, and an inwardly projecting annular element 116 of slightly smaller diametral size which is provided with a pair of diametrally opposed keys 118, 120.

The core 102 comprises a hollow cylindrical shell 112 having two centrally located spaced feed-through slots 124, 126, and also being provided at one end with a pair of diametrally opposed notches 128, sized for accepting the keys 118, 120.

The clamping assembly 104 includes a bracket 132 mounted on the panel 16, a handle 134 pivotally attached to the bracket 135, a plunger 136 slidably mounted in the bracket 132, and a linkage 138 pivotally attached at one end to the handle 134 and pivotally attached at the other end to one end of the plunger 136. Secured to the other end of the plunger 136 is a retaining dish 140 having an annular inwardly presented face and an inwardly projecting outer flange. The dish 140 is sized for accepting the unkeyed end of the core 102, and the plunger 136 is sized for holding the keyed end of the core 102, in keyed engagement with the keys 118, 120, when the plunger 136 is in the fully in position. When the plunger 136 is released by movement of the handle 134 in the opposite direction, the core 102 may be removed and a new core substituted in its place.

The inwardly presented faces of the dish 140 are lined with Teflon to permit free rotation of the core 102 when the dish 140 is in the fully in position.

In use, the mesh 58 is routed from the reel 56 between the roller 94 and the lower face of the support member 60 to the core 102. At the core 102, the forward edge of the mesh 58 is taped or otherwise secured to the core 102 covering approximately half of the feed-through slots 124, 126. The two bands of dialysis tubing 46, 48, are then routed over the horizontal guide bars 70, 78, respectively, and under the horizontal guide bars 72, 80, respectively, to the work table 20. On the work table, a small piece 150, 152 of small diameter plastic tubing is attached to the dialysis tubing 46, 48, respectively by forming joints 154, 156, in the conventional manner.

After the joints 154, 156, have been formed, the pieces of tubing 150, 152, are inserted through the open portion of the slots 124, 126, respectively into the center of the core 102. The joints 154, 156, are thereafter taped or otherwise secured to the mesh 58 at the slots 124, 126. Thereafter, the reels 30, 36 are slowly rotated in the reverse direction to remove all slack from the tubing 46, 48. Next the hand crank 106 is manually rotated slowly which causes the tubing 46, 48, and supportive mesh 58 to be wound on the core 102. As the required length of tubing 46, 48, is approached (usually a specified number of turns), the tubing 46, 48 may be cut from the reels 30, 40; removed from the guides 62, 64; and thereafter placed on the work table where two additional small diameter pieces of tubing 160, 162 may be conventionally attached to the dialysis tubing 46, 48, respectively by the tying of joints 164, 166. The joints 164, 166 are thereafter taped to the mesh 58 and the tubing 160, 162 is secured to the mesh 58 along a route which brings them to and past the top of the core 102. The mesh tension retainer 82 prevents the mesh 58 from loosening about the core 102 during this operation. Thereafter, the hand crank 106 is continued to be rotated until the entire reel 56 of mesh 58 is wound about the core 102. Thereafter, three bands of tape 170, 172, 174 are wound circumferentially about the core, the band 170 being wound centrally between the coils of tubing 46, 48, and the bands 172, 174 being wound about opposing ends. Outward movement of the handle 134 will move the plunger 136 and the dish 140 outwardly and permit removal of the wound core 102. As a final step the ends of the mesh 58 about the core 102 may be tac-fused in several places by touching a hot instrument (such as a soldering iron, not shown) thereto. After the core 102 has been removed, it may be tested for leaks, sterilized and used. The machine may be re-prepared for use by inserting a new core 102 between the drive assembly 100 and the clamping assembly 104, and by also installing a new reel 56 of mesh 58.

It should be understood that changes and alterations in the form, arrangement, construction and combination of the various parts and steps may be made and substituted for those shown herein without departing from the nature and principle of my invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is shown in the above specification and recited in the following claims.

In the claims:

1. A method for winding a dialyzing coil which comprises providing a cylindrical shell with two apertures, attaching a net-like supportive mesh to the shell in slightly overlapping relation to the apertures, providing two elongated dialysis tubes from a first source of supply, providing first and second small pieces of tubing, forming a first joint between the first piece of tubing and one dialysis tube, forming a second joint between the second piece of tubing and the other dialysis tube, securing the first joint to the mesh at the junction of the mesh and one aperture, securing the second joint to the mesh at the junction of the mesh and the other aperture, inserting the first and second small pieces of tubing through their respectively adjacent apertures into the center of the shell, establishing a first preselected level of tension between the dialysis tube source of supply and the shell, establishing a second preselected level of tension between the mesh and the shell, rotating the shell about its axis a first predetermined number of revolutions while retaining the first and second levels of tension, and simultaneously retaining the dialysis tubes in spaced axial separation from each other, thereafter severing the dialysis tubes from their source of supply while retaining the second level of tension, forming a third joint between one dialysis tube and a third piece of tubing, forming a fourth joint between the other dialysis tube and a fourth piece of tubing, securing the third and fourth joints to the mesh, routing the third and fourth pieces of tubing axially outwardly from the mesh, continuing the rotation of the shell a second predetermined number of revolutions whereby to wrap the mesh around the third and fourth joints and the third and fourth pieces of tubing, severing the mesh after a predetermined amount has been wrapped about the shell, and finally securing the relative position of the tubes and the mesh with respect to the shell and to each other.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the final step is accomplished by wrapping three coaxial bands of tape about the shell, the first band being wrapped in the area between the dialysis tubes and the other two bands being wrapped at opposing ends of the shell.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the second level of tension is retained during all operations up to the severing of the mesh.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the dialysis tubes and the mesh are supplied to the shell along planes perpendicular to the axis of rotation.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the dialysis tubes are guided onto the shell during rotation by fixed guides.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,366,141 12/ 1944 Alderfer 29452 2,650,709 9/1953 Rosenak et a1. 210-321 2,756,206 7/1956- Gobel 210321 3,258,955 7/1966 Lindsay 29-157X 3,489,647 1/1970 Kolobow 210-321X 3,508,662 4/1970 Miller 210321 3,510,004 5/1970 Hoeltzenbein 210-321 CHARLIE T. MOON, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 29452; 210-321 

